CESs are used to expand and differentiate cells. Cell expansion systems are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,162,225 and 6,001,585 generally describe cell expansion systems designed for cell expansion.
The potential use of stem cells in a variety of treatments and therapies has achieved particular attention. Cell expansion systems can be used to grow stem cells, as well as other types of cells, such as bone marrow cells. Stem cells which are expanded from donor cells can be used to repair or replace damaged or defective tissues and have broad clinical applications for a wide range of diseases. Recent advances in the regenerative medicine field demonstrate that stem cells have properties such as proliferation and self-renewal capacity, maintenance of the unspecialized state, and the ability to differentiate into specialized cells under particular conditions.
Limiting factors associated with performing cell expansion include the sterility of elements associated with the cell expansion system and the ability of lab technicians to timely disassemble equipment associated with performing a first cell expansion followed by subsequently setting up equipment associated with performing a subsequent cell expansion. Accordingly, there is a need for an assembly and methods associated with the assembly that enable a lab technician to prepare, with relatively limited downtime, equipment necessary to conduct a second cell expansion after a first cell expansion.
In addition to the forgoing, and as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the presence of air or gas bubbles in a bioreactor is detrimental to the performance of a cell expansion system. (“Air” or “gas” bubbles are used interchangeably herein.) Accordingly, it is generally considered advantageous to limit the presence of air bubbles in a bioreactor. It is also advantageous to collect data pertaining to the fluid level in the air removal chamber. Such information is beneficial to aid in operation of the cell expansion system to ensure that air bubbles are removed from the fluid flowing through the cell expansion system. More particularly, with fluid at too low a level, the air removal chamber may be substantially empty, which can result in air bubbles being pumped into the bioreactor. In contrast, if the fluid is at too high a level in the air removal chamber, such a high fluid level can result in fluid being pumped into the vent line. Both of these scenarios are undesirable. Accordingly, it is advantageous to provide an air removal chamber that sufficiently removes air bubbles from the cell expansion system while providing fluid level sensing ability that allows for the removal of air bubbles from the cell expansion system while maintaining a proper fluid level in the air chamber to avoid detrimental effects associated with too low or too high a fluid level as described above.
The present disclosure addresses these and other needs.